Posted on 08/20/2006 11:51:51 AM PDT by FairOpinion
IN 1966, California voters created a full-time Legislature after Speaker Jesse Unruh promised a dazzlingly “professional” Legislature instead of part-timers earning $6,000 yearly. By 2007, legislators will earn $145,097 in wages and per diem, costing roughly $200 million annually, yet taxpayers get a dubious “product” in return: mountains of pointless laws.
We are drowning in 47,000 new laws enacted since 1966, covering everything from the size of typeface on official notices on employee bulletin boards to the arcane timing dictating when you must use your windshield wipers.
You couldn't know this, but it's illegal to throw away your cell phone. Lawbreaker!
What a contrast to the early 20th century, when Big Laws addressed, often for the first time, everything from redevelopment to fair employment practices. After that, we got mired in pocket laws, obscurities and nitpickery. Ronald Reagan, Jerry Brown and George Deukmejian added roughly 1,500 new laws yearly; Pete Wilson and Gray Davis about 1,000 annually.
Scary.
But in 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made news. He vetoed 311 bills. His vetoes caused legislators momentary pause. They sent him “only” 961 laws in 2005. Arnold let 729 become law — a “record low” in our times.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)
By all means, please read the whole article at the link to get the full flavor of the insane to inane bills the Legislature keeps passing.
I just found out yesterday that it is illegal in Tennessee to keep a pet turtle; the law was passed in 1977 to protect the citizens from Salmonella.
This why people with common sense ignore stupid laws.
Another odious “Thank God we're not poor” bill is SB 1578 by Democrat Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, making it “a crime” to tether a dog to a stationary object longer than three hours. If you've spent time in South Central, Richmond or Compton, you know that families tether dogs at
And there's AB 2360 from Democrat Ted Lieu of El Segundo, who snapped to it when Tom Cruise enthused over using an ultrasound device to watch his unborn child. This silly bill bans the sale of ultrasound machines to all but professionals. No word yet on preventing parental purchase of tall chairs, boom boxes and furniture with sharp corners. With big bipartisan Assembly support of 63-10, it heads to the Senate floor.
You hear liberals deciding we're too stupid to know when to tether our dogs and even Republicans agree it should be verboten for ordinary citizens to buy an ultrasound machine. All in the name of protecting us from ourselves.
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)
The US House and Senate is also churning out laws at an enormous pace. In a country that prides itself on "freedom", there sure isn't much that is not regulated. Even Red China has way fewer laws that we do. (Most of their are capital offenses, however.)
It really is about time to set about repealing a lot of over-regulation. I think it is also time to call up Congress to solve specific problems rather than just convening regularly to regulate what is yet unregulated. That is the way Congress worked in the old days.
"All in the name of protecting us from ourselves. "
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Exactly -- we are too stupid to think for ourselves, the government bureaucrats are so much smarter, they need to pass laws and regulations, so we know what to do. (/sarc) 1984 was just a few years early.
Whatever happened to individual freedom?
--the "there oughtta be a law" people long ago got ahead of us "it's a free country" folks---
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." - Ronald Wilson Reagan-January 20, 1981-First Inaugural Address
"98% of what is churned out in our "professional" State Legislature is counterproductive, unnecessary and expensive."
But, at least they are "Doing" something...
If they DO NOT generate bills, the next election opponent uses it AGAINST them...
I asked him if he wanted to cite me for an open container and he got excited. I held up my 20 oz Mountain Dew. He explained that only pertains to alcoholic beverages. So now I pour beer into my Mountain Dew bottles and go about my merry way. ;-)
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)
We are probably a couple of years away from having our each and every action be regulated by the government.
Anymore it seems we do not have legislators but instead have overlords.
They essentially have already... ever try to buy a new toilet that uses more than 1.5 gallons of water per flush?
That is called sharia law (PBUH)
Just for fun I once drove to our local dump, I mean landfill, with a nuclear waste sticker on my trash can. They were not amused.
ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT FOR WALMART
1. WalmMart will fill big box with stuff.
2. Walmart will hire hundreds of low wage workers from the welfare and charity roles.
3. Walmart will sell $millions.
4. Walmart will pay millions in local, state, and federal taxes.
5. Community income is increased and collateral spending increases everybody else's share (except higher-priced mom&pops!).
6. Walmart sticks middle finger in air to unions and taxsharks...
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